Lamine Camara has admitted that another opportunity to leave Monaco could arise after the club reneged on an agreement with Chelsea during transfer deadline day. A £47million deal was in place before the Ligue 1 club made a last-minute U-turn to keep the player while negotiating Folarin Balogun's prospective £42.5million move to Everton.
Deal collapse details
Camara, 22, was the subject of two offers before Monaco reduced their asking price, doing so after concerns surfaced during the United States international's medical tests. However, neither player left the principality for England; both stayed put.
Speaking during a Monaco press conference on Friday, the Senegal international said: "It was a somewhat turbulent and difficult time. But that's part of a player's life. I tried to remain professional, avoid dwelling on it, and move on so I could quickly focus on the upcoming match in Paris (three days later). Once it was over, there was no point in thinking about it."
Camara's response
Asked if he wanted to go to Chelsea, Camara said: "Saying that now would imply I'm no longer fully present with the team. Yes, there was a possibility I might leave, but it didn't happen at the last minute. These things happen; look at the example of Julian Alvarez with Atletico Madrid. It happens all over the world, and I'm trying to turn the page as quickly as possible to focus on the season."
Speaking about the possibility of interest from other clubs down the line, Camara said: "If it doesn't come back around, it will be because I gave up or didn't work hard enough. If I keep going like this, I know I can help the team perform well. Football moves fast, and perhaps other chances will arise. But for now, I'm staying focused on the season."
Monaco's defence
Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro defended their approach hours after the window shut. He said: "There is no deal on Lamine because it's also fair to do this. It's also part of the game. There's no reason that this kind of discussion or dynamic on the last day of the transfer window, which all of us decided to be on the last day, trying to find solutions with the clock ticking in our neck, that now this kind of interaction becomes the bad guys in the room, that Monaco is not fair, Monaco is not right. Everybody is very fair and nice in the football industry, just Monaco is not too much, so this is the storytelling."
